


not a forever thing

by kytaen



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Feels, Gen, Gift Fic, Growing Up, Heartwarming, Ryuseitai, it's just heaps loads of ryuseitai feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 17:46:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16000226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kytaen/pseuds/kytaen
Summary: Stars don't last forever, that's what they all said.





	not a forever thing

**Author's Note:**

> music specially made to accompany this fic: [♫](https://soundcloud.com/cerisylia/horizon-star)
> 
> **slight baton pass spoilers!!**
> 
> happy birthday ra!! this fic was inspired by one of your tweets... evil laughter... i hope you enjoy it ψ(｀∇´)ψ 
> 
> ANYWAY i'm super glad i met u!! you're one of my favourite people to talk to and you're always open for my never-ending rambling & witticisms which i am eternally grateful for. you're so sweet & i enjoy our convos a lot!! please have a wonderful birthday and all the chiakis :0

Stars won't last forever, that's what he was born knowing.

It's what keeps Midori going when he wakes up in the morning to the intense knocking of the door and the yelling of "Takamine! Time to wake up and go to practice!" Chiaki, with his boundless, infinite energy—if Midori continued to ignore him, maybe he would stop. After all, Chiaki Morisawa was still human. There had to be a limit; if Midori waited long enough, Chiaki would surely run out of energy eventually.

It's what keeps Midori from quitting _RYUSEITAI,_ knowing that everything had to come to an end someday. Nothing lasts forever. A day was 24 hours, a year was 365 days—his years with _RYUSEITAI_ , three at the very most.

20 minutes until dinner.

5 minutes until he can sleep.

10 minutes before he can go home.

If he counted the minutes, if he focused on how much longer things would take second by second, it made it a little bit easier. It made it so he would stop asking himself,  _But how long will_  I _last?_

So Midori came, and went, in wait of it all ending one day. So he could go back to the normal life he so desperately wanted—so he could go back to the normal life that he was destined for. It's not as if _RYUSEITAI_ was a forever thing, or anything.

Even if he tried to change it, this destiny,

(even if he tried to change himself—)

—fate simply wasn't meant to be ch

_"Won't you be a hero?"_

10 minutes.

_In._

The breaths are coming in short, sporadic gasps, and yet—and yet, Midori doesn't seem to care, even when the edges of his mouth become sore and tired from smiling.

_Out._

Suddenly—Midori realizes this with a start, with a withheld sob, and a sigh of relief within him, because he's known this for a very long time so that maybe, it wasn't sudden at all—suddenly, he doesn't want this to end.

He wants this night to last forever, just the five of them.

(5 minutes, until the unit switch.)

"The green flames are the mark of compassion, the infinitely growing nature!  _RYUSEI_ Green, Takamine Midori...!"

Beside him, Chiaki looks like he was seriously about to cry.

"Please don't cry, Morisawa-senpai," Midori whispers, and it may have caught onto the headset but Midori couldn't care less. He pauses before continuing, but the words he couldn't say hang above everyone's heads, like an unwritten promise.

"This dream isn't over yet."

☆

("Takamine" meant "high peak".

"Takamine" meant growing infinitely along with the people he loved, forever.)

☆

Stars don't last forever, that was common knowledge.

"I'll work harder to get into Akatsuki!" "I'll become a man among men!" "I'll handle this, don't worry!"

Tetora looks down. At his feet. Not his hands. Not at Shinobu-kun, who is certainly looking at him with pity, with disgust, right now.

How could he claim to do any of those, when he was so, so hollow inside?

"We've come a long way, haven't we, Tetora-kun."

Tetora's hands are shaking when he looks up. Shinobu's face is one of concern. Tetora almost scoffs, scolds himself for making Shinobu worry. Just how much longer will he keep making mistakes?

"Seng—Shinobu...kun." 

Shinobu is holding Tetora's hands, and giving Tetora a hard, serious look. Up until now, Tetora hadn't noticed— _no_ , he had forgotten—just how strong Shinobu was. Though Shinobu suffered from stranger anxiety, from stage fright, right now he was the stronger one, and right now, he looked majestic. Like a hero.

"Don't hold my hands, Shinobu-kun. After all, they're the ones that.. they... the ones that..."  _What was he afraid of? Why couldn't he say it?_  Tetora lifts up his head, the back of his throat burning. "I hit Midori-kun with these hands! I... I called him a spoiled brat in front of everyone, and then—He, he was a  _comrade! My friend!_ And yet, I, I...I'm," he looks down again, "I'm not fit to be a leader, Shinobu-kun. Not like this."

Even if he tried with all his might, even if he had the determination of a thousand men, a flaming spirit, there was no way he'll be able to take to the skies with  _this,_ this hollow shell of his.

His flames would burn out eventually; that's what shooting stars did, at the end, anyway.

(Maybe, when he told Midori to leave, maybe it was himself who should have left inst

"Wait...! Tetora-kun, Shinobu-kun... wait up!"

The breath is knocked out of his windpipe faster than being in the dojo, and Taishou, could ever do. "M-Midori-kun. You came back."

Midori nods. "I couldn't leave it like that, so..."

Tetora grabs at his own chest, at the fabric so lovingly sown by Anego. Clings to it.

"We don't have much time right now, Midori-kun. Let's talk later, and we'll... well, I promise we'll settle it then."

"Yeah... sorry I'm late... I didn't even get to practice... ah, I'm wasting time right now, aren't I? Okay. Let's do that... Leader."

_Leader._

Tetora coughs, the only thing he could think of doing. "Just follow me and Shinobu-kun and you'll do fine, Midori-kun!" Tetora tries to hide as much of it as he could—his gratefulness, his relieved face, his silent  _thank yous_ , in the resolute steps he takes forward upon the stage, cape swishing behind him.

"Ossu! Let's begin, _RYUSEITAI_!"

☆

("Tetora" meant "iron tiger".

"Tetora" meant an iron will, of keeping the embers alive even when everything threatens to put the fire out, forever.)

☆

Stars don't last forever, that's what keeps him up at night.

Shinobu's used to flaming hoops. He's used to the dark shadows the trees and bushes cast, used to listening to crickets chirp as he stealthily crept through the night. Used to the moon's light pooling onto grass.

He's not used to the spotlights.

_I'm an idol now,_  Shinobu turns, turns, turns.  _I'm here on a mission to make people happy—I'm here to shine, on this stage._ There are people everywhere, watching his every move—no, he was a  _ninja_ , ninjas shouldn't be spotted, ninjas should hide away into the night. But Shinobu was a ninja: helping the weak. Doing good deeds, completing his missions, in the shadows.

Right now, there were no shadows left to hide in.

He's frozen. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there's a scream, urging him,  _get up, go, sing, DO SOMETHING—_ buried under a thousand thumping heartbeats like cavalry horses on a stampede.  _This mission,_  Shinobu shrinks back a little, almost tripping on his feet,  _might fail, de gozaru. How can I call myself a ninja if I can't carry out my tasks? Am I even an idol, if I can't handle this mission by myself?_

_What should I do?_

_Perhaps—perhaps I am neith_

"Sengoku!"

Shinobu twitches. "Captain-dono—"

"Face forward! We're behind you!"

Shinobu blinks. Closes his eyes. Looks to the audience, at the cyalumes glowing brightly in the dark.

There's cheers.

There's Shinkai-dono's presence, at the back, to his right: calming, like a warm sea.

There's Tetora-kun's aura—bright. Determined.

There's Midori-kun. He seems to be tired, and yet, he's standing straight, eyes watchful, ready to cover Shinobu and hide him in the shadows even while shaking in the spot himself.

_Midori-kun, thank you, but... I am alright, now._ Ninjas... they persevere. They endure—that is truly a ninja's talent. And if tonight, his mission were to shine—

Shinobu looks back. At how the spotlights shine on _RYUSEITAI_ 's faces.  _That's right, isn't it, de gozaru. RYUSEITAI has given me a place to belong, and comrades to grow with._

_I may be a ninja, but I am also an idol, and—_

_—I am not alone._

Just like how stars disappeared during the day, but came back during the night, glowing from within the deep dark:

"The yellow flames are the mark of hope, a single miracle shining into the darkness! _RYUSEI_ Yellow, Sengoku Shinobu!"

☆

("Shinobu" meant "ninja".

"Shinobu" meant supporting everyone else in their shadows, and yet not being afraid to shine when it matters most, forever.)

☆

Stars don't last forever, that's what he'd been told.

Being alone had its advantages—it was quiet, and familiar. Kanata was okay with being alone, for a while. After all, things like "friendship" and "love" were finicky things—they were bound to break, built on twigs and glue, fragile things they were.

Up on land, it was so different from what Kanata was used to. Sometimes, it was hard to breathe. Sometimes, it was hard to think, and he had to rely on feeling.

Sometimes, he wasn't sure  _if_ he had a heart, anyway. Humans have hearts, don't they? Kanata sees it in Chiaki—it's so easily seen, glowing red with the sunset—but he sees it in the children too. No one could see their own: it was a rule written way before Kanata was born, way before anything on this earth was born—no, it was written in the stars before anything, and everything, started.

_It is... painful here. And yet, I came up, anyway, but for what?_

_Was it for Chiaki? Chiaki... he 'called' me a 'hero', and all._

_Am I a 'hero'?_

_Shinkai...senpai._

Midori's eyes are wide. Frozen in time, the main theme of  _Supernova_ still playing in the background.

Fragile things they were, and yet.

"It was 'painful' coming up onto land, you know, Midori." Kanata watches as Midori's stiff body loosens up just a bit.  _You're not used to the light, are you, Midori? I... was once the same, too._  "But I don't 'regret' it. Because the land was 'warm', and it's where I met all of you."

_Because on land was where I 'met' everyone I love._

"The blue flames are the mark of mystery!" On the Repayment Festival stage, he's overlooking an audience—an audience who turn their cyalumes blue so it's as if Kanata is looking back at the sea.

Kanata turns back, at the faces of the people he loves.

( _RYUSEITAI_ , it too, has the color of the ocean.)

"I have come from the blue sea~♪ _RYUSEI_ Blue, Shinkai Kanata...☆"

☆

("Shinkai" meant "deep sea".

"Shinkai" meant a pouring love, of finding a deep love to share with others, forever.)

☆

Stars don't last forever, that's what they all said.

Chiaki gets up on one leg, one hand pressed against his cheek, the other on his knee, steadying himself. Above him, the rain pours steadily, steadily.

_"It's all a fake hero game, anyway."_

_"Yeah. Come on, face it. How's_ this  _supposed to be a veteran idol unit?_ "

"No," Chiaki wipes his mouth, stares at the red stained on the sides of his fingers. "We can...  _I'll_..."

Maybe the rain was a blessing, that day. It had brought water, to rush over Chiaki's scrapes and bruises and wash away all signs of blood. It had brought Kanata, staring with those empty green eyes of his from the fountain. It had brought tears that Chiaki wouldn't have had the courage to cry out anytime else.

When Chiaki finally stands up, and looks behind him, there's no red anymore. Only grey stretching for miles, up until the school walls.

Chiaki looks up, not sure what he was expecting to see.

Stars can't be seen in the rain, you know?

"Chiaki."

Chiaki blinks, and the lights above are so, so—

"Kanata," he breathes, "were the lights always this bright?"

There's laughter before him—they are shining so brightly, those three who Chiaki chose himself, standing in full dress, cape patterned with the never-ending dots of the milky way. They're magnificent under the limelight, _RYUSEITAI_ 's future—

Tetora Nagumo.

Shinobu Sengoku.

Midori Takamine.

"It's time for us to 'meet' the children once again," Kanata says, a smile faintly shadowing his lips.  _Kanata Shinkai._  As if they were shooting stars who, once in a while, their orbits passed each other, and now was a moment of return, a point of contact established again like a heavenly bridge.

_No... see, that's what RYUSEITAI are... shooting stars..._

"Mmm." Chiaki takes a step, a breath. The cyalumes glow in the audience,  _red blue black yellow green_. There are protests ("you're late, Taichou, what were you doing?"), but more importantly, there was laughter, and there was warmth.

Stars don't last forever, but god, if he didn't even try to preserve that peace, how could he call himself a hero?

_After all..._

Chiaki turns around. It's as if he's seeing colors for the first time.

_The five of us will always be..._

"Together, the five of us, we are  _RYUSEITAI!_ "

☆

("Chiaki" meant "a thousand autumns."

"Chiaki" meant  _forever._ )

☆

Under the backdrop of a watercolor sunset, the five of them solemnly walk away from the burial site.

It had been placed close to the sea, Kanata's home. Kanata swore the sea would protect it, and the rest of them had agreed, unanimously. 

Stars don't last forever. They all knew that, somewhere in their hearts. But _RYUSEITAI—RYUSEITAI_ had been born out of the stardust of collapsed stars.

"We'll be reborn again," Chiaki says, in that loud voice of his everyone was all too familiar with, and yet couldn't do without. "Mhm. Even if we collapse, even if we stray far, far away, we'll keep on going as far as we can go, until our paths cross again."

"Connected just like a 'constellation', huh, Chiaki~?"

"C-Captain-dono..."

"Morisawa-senpai, please don't make this more... more depressing than it already is..."

"God, Taichou, you're just making this worse! L-look, we're all c-c-crying now!"

(There was only one thing in the box underneath the sand. It was a picture of the five of them—some teary-eyed, some crying, all of them happy. On it, a caption scribbled by Chiaki's hand, with Sharpie marker: a permanent ink, just how they like it.)

☆

_RYUSEITAI_ IS FOREVER

 

**Author's Note:**

> honestly if i were going to describe this fic, it'll be like... this is like an open letter of love to ryuseitai more than anything. i love these 5 so much (& also the person this was written for!!)
> 
> [carrd](https://kytaen.carrd.co) ⋆ [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/kytaen) ⋆ [twitter](https://twitter.com/kytaens)
> 
> please cry about midori or ryuseitai with me


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